1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a stacked structure for a fuel cell, and more particularly, to a stacked structure in which a plurality of fuel cells are stacked to increase an electric power amount.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Generally, fuel cells are power generators which include a cathode layer and a anode layer formed on both sides of an electrolytic layer, respectively, and in which, when air including oxygen and a fuel gas including hydrogen are caused to flow to the air electrode layer and the fuel electrode layer, respectively, the hydrogen reacts with the oxygen through an ion conductive phenomenon in the electrolytic layer, and thereby electricity is generated.
The fuel cells have eco-friendly characteristics of a high efficient and pollution-free power generator which has simple energy conversion steps and generates energy by oxidizing hydrogen in principle, and thus research is being actively processed recently.
In particular, a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) among the fuel cells is a fuel cell which uses a ceramic as an electrolyte and operates at a high temperature in a range of about 600 to 1,000° C., and has various advantages in that it is a type having the highest efficiency and lowest pollution among a variety of types of fuel cells such as other molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC), a phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC), a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC), or the like, and combined generation is possible without requiring a fuel reformer.
Since a cell composed of a pair of an electrolyte layer, a cathode layer, and a anode layer of the fuel cell usually refers to a single cell, and electricity generated by the single cell is a voltage less than about 1 V and does not have effectiveness, a technology of increasing a generated voltage by stacking the plurality of single cells in a stacked structure shape is being highlighted.
The stacked structure necessarily requires a plurality of interconnectors which electrically connect the single cells therebetween and have channels through which the air or the fuel gas flows at a position in contact with the cathode layer and the anode layer of the single cell. Also, the interconnector necessarily requires a space extending from an end portion of the single cell so as to supply the air or the fuel gas while sealing is performed such that the air or the fuel gas are mixed with each other.
However, when the single cells and the interconnectors are manufactured to have very thin thicknesses so as to decrease a volume of the stacked structure, strength thereof is weakened, and thus defects such as bending or sagging may be generated by heat or a load during operation.
Also, when the bending or the sagging occurs as mentioned above, adjacent interconnectors may short-circuit in the extending space, and thus electricity generated from the short-circuited single cells may not be collected in some cases.